Imagine if about half of Ferguson, MO had banded together and used the system to file a complaint with the Ferguson, MO police department; the mayor's office; the governor and state legislator; and the federal government with respect to police corruption in their city and held a press conference instead of becoming criminals themselves.
That's how you kick the legs out from underneath a police department in need of reform. A good example of how well that works is the LAPD. They came under strict federal oversight for an entire decade with CA state and local politicians riding them like a horse when the citizenry used the system against them in that manner. The department, roster, policy manual, etc... was structurally reformed from the top down and a civilian Los Angeles Police Commission empowered with the authority to be responsible for oversight of the implemented reforms.
Get your head around that. They put local civilians in charge overseeing the implemented reforms NOT the politicians and police department.
Rioting, looting, assaulting innocent people, etc... only empowers any department because us moral citizens will NEVER support immoral criminal behavior or the people that engage in it respite with rioting, looting, and the assault of innocents. We recognize that the department (whether or not it needs reform) is NECESSARY to containing such criminal behavior and the people who choose to engage in it. May THEY be held accountable for THEIR immoral behavior.